Adamantine
by rickeyranger
Summary: Rainbow lets her pride come before another student, and this has disastrous results. What happens when Equestrian magic combines with the power of science, in the hands of a bullied student? The Sombra-fueled villain, Adamantine, awakens. Equestria Girls setting at Canterlot high featuring Atomic Adam as recurring character.
1. Chapter 1: Science Fair

Rainbow Dash was busy shredding on her guitar. It sounded amazing. More emphasis on the amazing, please. It was awesome! More awesome than anyone could ever be!

"Turn it up, Sunset! Turn it up!" Rainbow held the guitar aloft and was shaking her head, her hair flying around. "Come on! Why am I not hearing my coolness echoing?"

"The amp is broken," Sunset Shimmer replied. "It isn't working."

"Then fix it! Every second it isn't working is a second wasted of everyone not hearing my coolness." Rainbow stopped playing and the tune vanished with a slight whine. Then she whined. "We need to get it fixed. How do we fix it?"

"I don't know. Applejack, do you know how to fix it?" Sunset turned to face Applejack.

Applejack shrugged. "Sorry, I don't know how. Y'all need to contact repair or something."

"That's not fair. I don't have money," Rainbow whined. She continued to whine and then slouched against the wall.

"I'll just post something," Sunset replied, taking out her phone. "Ah, here we are. The Canterlot High community page. Does anyone know how to repair amps?"

The phone made several beeping sounds and Sunset frowned. "Crazy Pinkie… she's only posting, 'Nope, nope, nope'. She only needs to make one post. Oh, here we are. One of the techies knows how to fix amps."

"Hurry up and get the amp to him," Rainbow said. "We're missing all of my awesome!"

"You could help me lift up this amp," Sunset replied.

"I'll help ya," Applejack said, quickly taking up the amp.

"Wait, where are we going?"

"He agreed to meet us at the gym. The Science Fair is occurring there. He's at the nuclear station, or something like that." Sunset looked at the phone more. "Wow, they did a project on nuclear power? That's impressive."

"Egghead," Rainbow smirked, and she followed her friends out. Applejack hauled the amp without complaining and Sunset was busy chatting about how excited she was to see the science fair going on in full function, instead of her ruining it.

"It'll look good without someone ruining the science fair with lies and insults," Applejack remarked. "Right?"

Sunset Shimmer blushed. "Yeah…."

"Oops," Applejack replied. "I didn't realize…."

Rainbow Dash ran up ahead and opened the door to the gym. "Heyo! The cool of me is here!"

Several of the students ducked out of the way.

"Why are they doing that?" Rainbow asked, confused.

"Because you called them eggheads who are too lazy to do awesome things like be in sports. You are the captain of every sport team, anyways."

"Oh yeah." She walked around. "Hey! This is about electricity. Is it as… shocking as me?"

Scribble Dee looked up. "Well, is has a lot of energy, more energy than we probably use in one day."

"Boring. Talk to me when it's cool. Oh hey, something about ice! That's totally cool." Rainbow walked over to another stand.

Paisley, who was more of an eco-kid, smiled. "The snow is melting because the world is getting hotter."

"Boring. I'm cool."

While Rainbow Dash continued to walk around and try to find a science project as amazing as her, Sunset and Applejack looked around for the project on nuclear energy. Hmm, no, it wasn't over there… nor was it right there… oh, hey, how about that booth with the miniature sub? No, no….

"Applejack! Over here!" someone called.

"Oh!" Applejack headed over, looking for the booth. Instead, she was greeted by Rarity.

"Don't you just love my project? It's all about who likes this style and who likes that. It's simply marvelous."

"This is nice," Sunset commented.

"I've finally been able to do this project. The last few science fairs someone kept scribbling on my clothes. It was horrible!" Rarity picked up a scarf.

"Sorry," Sunset replied, looking away.

"Oh, it doesn't matter." Rarity draped the scarf around Sunset's neck. "You look amazing! This orange goes with your eyes and hair."

Applejack felt a light tap on her shoulder.

"Uh… is that the amp?"

Spinning around on her heels, Applejack bumped right into the student. "Ouch!" she dropped the amp, but Rainbow caught it on her face, trying to dive in and save it.

"Oh, sorry!" Atomic Adam held his hands up.

Rainbow muttered something, her voice muffled by the amp. Applejack stooped to pick up the amp and Rainbow sputtered, "Wait, you are the one fixing my amp?"

"I know how to," Adam replied back. "Um, if you don't want me to, I don't have to."

"Let him fix the amp," Rarity said. Then, ducking under the booth, she placed a large hat on Adam's head. "Oh, this looks so wonderful!"

Adam blushed. "Not as good as the tails and ears you made during freshman year."

"Everyone looks so adorable in them. Of course you love them!"

Applejack pushed Rarity away then turned to face Adam. "Think you can fix it?"

"I'll see, uh, what I can do after school. Right now, can I interest you in, um, learning more about nuclear energy? It's pretty interesting."

Rainbow laughed. "Not now, silly. We gotta get back to practicing. Hurry up with that amp."

Adam was left standing with the amp while Sunset, Applejack, and Rainbow walked off. Rarity, who was still standing there, gasped,

"You're all practicing without me? Watch my booth, Adam. I'm coming to practice! I just need to get into something nicer! Wait for me! Wait!"


	2. Chapter 2: My Amp!

"What is taking him so long?" Rainbow was lying on the couch, phone in hand. She was waiting for the call that the amp was fixed and ready to be picked up.

"I don't know," Sunset replied. "Those things are complex." She picked at her nails.

"I thought eggheads were _good_ at these kinds of things." Rainbow turned on the television to watch some soccer.

"We should watch basketball," Applejack commented.

"Nah. Lemme watch soccer."

"This is my house, and I say we should watch basketball."

Rainbow threw the remote out of an open window. "There. Now we're stuck watching soccer."

Apple Bloom came in carrying the remote. "Who dropped this?"

Rainbow Dash pointed at Applejack and said, "She did."

Applejack pointed at Rainbow Dash and said, "She did."

"It doesn't matter," Sunset muttered. "Oh hey, I just got a message from Adam. Looks like the amp is just about fixed. He can drive over in about an hour."

"Have him bring it here and then just fix it while we watch," Rainbow yawned. She flicked her hair and stared at the soccer game.

Sunset replied, "It needs to be put back together."

"Wait, he tore it apart? That thing totally wasn't cheap!"

"Maybe he needed to fix some problem deep in it. After all, you do tend to kick it a lot, Rainbow." Applejack smirked and took the remote from Apple Bloom. "Thanks, sis."

"No problem! Hey, maybe I could be a secret investigator when I grow up. Hmmm." She left the room, deep in thought.

"She's so adorable," Sunset commented.

"Growing up fast," Applejack responded. Her phone buzzed. "Pinkie Pie wants to practice tonight."

"But I had, like, three tests today. And it's Friday."

"She wants to hear your rendition of some pop songs."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

Sunset frowned. "Shouldn't we wait for Adam?"

"Ask him where he lives. We can pick up the amp from his house." Rainbow reached for her guitar. "Good thing I take this around everywhere."

"Okay." Sunset began to text. "Good thing to be carrying around? You got in trouble for strumming during the middle of math."

"Not my fault that math is BORING."

"Adam's over at Dusty Wires. He works there."

"Okay. Who gets to drive? I do!" Rainbow ran out and grabbed Applejack's keys and unlocked the doors to the pickup truck.

"I'll grab the wires so the amp doesn't go flying out of the back." Applejack returned with some ropes and wires to tie down the amp later. "Where is Dusty Wires?"

"Down main, then take a left Sugarcube Corner. Third building on the right. I used to put graffiti there." Sunset Shimmer smiled, and then realized what she said. "Oops."

"So you spraypainted, "Crack open the eggheads"? Classic. I always laughed." Rainbow started the car up.

"Buckle yourself in," Sunset reminded her. Rainbow looked for the seat buckle.

"Where?"

"Here." Applejack reached over and got the buckle in. "Ready to go?" She buckled up.

"Yup." Sunset straightened her jacket.

They drove, getting lost and their screams could be heard as Rainbow drove crazily down the roads. She wasn't a very good driver, and it was amazing how she could have gotten her license. By the time they arrived at Dusty Wires, Applejack had turned a light shade of green.

"Next time, I get to drive," Applejack said.

"Nah. I'm a fine driver." The car lurched as Rainbow parked. "Uh, that was supposed to happen."

They entered Dusty Wires and saw two or three students from the high school looking at computer parts. They were all techie-kids, and they all stopped to look at the three unusual customers. One of them frowned when facing Sunset Shimmer, who only blushed and waved her hand slightly.

"Hello."

"Okay, have any of you seen my amp?" Rainbow Dash stepped up and looked around.

"We, uh, got our amp fixed. Is it in the back?" Applejack tried to make up for Rainbow's disruptive entrance.

Atomic Adam, who was at the counter, perked up. "Uh, yeah, it's in the back. I'll go and get it." He started to head into the back but Rainbow pushed him aside.

"Yeah, but, I need to get the amp myself."

"She's protective of her amp," Applejack said, smiling slightly.

"I guess," Sunset agreed. "Do you have any of those charging things that keep energy and I just need to plug my phone into it? The portable charger."

"Yes," Adam replied. He pointed at a huge row of different colored chargers. "Just choose one. I personally like this one." He reached for a blue colored one. "It's, uh, pretty amazing that you can just bring this with you and it carries two full charges for your phone. Cuts down the time you need to be near an outlet."

Sunset Shimmer reached for a red one. "I'll buy this one."

"Okay."

"My _amp_!" Rainbow's scream echoed throughout the store. Dust shook off from the walls.

"I guess this is called Dusty Wires for a reason," Applejack mused.

"What did you do to my amp?" Rainbow cried.

Sunset rushed into the back to find Rainbow Dash on her knees, holding up the parts of the amp. She had tears in her eyes.

"You ruined my amp," Rainbow whimpered. "It was just beginning to be cool."

"Well, uh, I had to work and that got in the way." Adam looked away. "I found several of the chips inside to be busted, so I was busy replacing them."

"My amp!"

Applejack turned to face Adam. "You could have at least told us you were goin' to tear it apart. Let's go, Rainbow."

"…My amp…."

Applejack helped Rainbow Dash to the entrance then turned to face Sunset, "You comin'?"

"Uh, yes."

The three of them left Dusty Wires, leaving the amp behind. Adam was left there in the dust turned up by the truck and he sighed, turning around and returning to the store.


	3. Chapter 3: Newish? Amp

At Pinkie Pie's house, the band was setting up their equipment. Well, most of them were. Rainbow Dash was sitting in a chair, slumped over and still bummed about losing her amp. She just couldn't get over the fact that it was torn apart and not with her at the moment. That precious amp….

"Now I have to buy a new amp," Rainbow Dash complained. "Adam broke my first one. It was so awesome, and then he broke it."

"To be honest, I think he was trying to fix it," Sunset Shimmer interjected. "He was nice enough to volunteer to fix it for free. I think we should give him another chance."

"Pffft, who has time to give people another chance when they proved they were lame the first time? Boring." Rainbow Dash slouched back into her chair. "Uh, no offense."

"None taken. I'm still flattered you gave me a second chance after…."

Pinkie Pie interrupted, "After you turned into a monster!"

"She-demon," Sunset corrected. Her face was bright red. "You guys ready?" She adjusted her guitar and pulled up a microphone.

"Eh," Rainbow moaned. "Nah."

"You just rest, okay?" Rarity tapped her microphone, making it squeak. "We'll just practice without you for now."

"Eh. Okay." Rainbow got up and went inside. "Any of you want some pop?"

"Fizzy apple cider," Applejack replied.

"Something pink!" Pinkie Pie squealed.

The door slammed shut. The girls looked at each other with bewilderment. How was Rainbow so upset about the one amp? Sheesh. The amp was nothing compared to the sirens or Sunset Shimmer as a raging demon. Oops, sorry, Sunset.

They played some songs but the energy was just gone. It didn't seem the same without Rainbow. When she came back with several sodas, Pinkie suggested they just relax for the moment.

"I wouldn't mind relaxing," Fluttershy said. "I like to take things quiet."

"Like THIS?!" Pinkie Pie screamed, frightening her friend.

"No," Fluttershy squeaked. "Can you be quieter?"

Rainbow strummed her guitar. "I think that I want to go home."

"Aww, we haven't even eaten dinner yet," Pinkie said, sounding rejected.

"I'll stay for dinner. Pizza?"

"Spaghetti." Pinkie Pie twirled around her hair. "All squishy and twirly!"

Applejack sighed. "So, how'd the science fair go, Rarity?"

Rarity turned around. "Oh! It was marvelous. Everyone _loved_ my pony ears and I learned that more people like fabulous than liking bleh. Science can really boost my sales!"

"Sounds like you had fun. How did you score?"

"I'm not in it for the competition, Applejack, darling. I was in it for the friends!"

"But you don't hang out with the techies." Applejack took a long swig from her soda and then burped. "Oops."

"I expect an, 'Excuse me'."

"Nah." Applejack waved her hand in front of her face.

"Who is that?" Fluttershy pointed outside. A car was pulling into the driveway, shining its headlights with a bright glare. Fluttershy ducked out of the way, trying not to get caught in the bright gleam. "Whoever it is, they have their headlights on bright."

The doorbell rang and Pinkie ran to get it. "Hello!"

"Hi!" Scribble Dee was standing there with Wiz Kid.

"You made it!" Pinkie Pie hugged Dee.

"You invited them?" Rainbow gasped.

"They agreed to help us construct a new amp! Oh, I'm so nerv-excited!" Pinkie Pie went over to their car and opened the trunk. "You have everything?"

"Yes, I brought my brother's old amp," Wiz replied. "We can fix it up."

"Weren't you getting Adam to fix the amp?" Rarity asked.

"He broke it," Rainbow said, scowling. Her voice was short and curt.

"I'm sure he was trying to fix it," Scribble Dee commented.

"What is there to say? He broke it into several pieces."

Wiz Kid spoke up, "Atomic Adam takes things apart in order to fix them. Are you sure you want my old amp? Adam probably has really improved yours."

"By breaking it into several other pieces. Come on in, I want to get this new amp."

"It's ten years old."

Rainbow Dash assisted in constructing the amp. She had a lot of fun, even though fixing it wasn't something she was good at. Rarity leaned in at times to put stickers on it and to draw designs on the side, as an amp without flare isn't an amp at all. Pinkie Pie tested it out, blasting her ears off. Those pony ears weren't going to be coming any time soon; working on this amp would take some time.


	4. Chapter 4: Yellow Ears

Scribble Dee and Wiz Kid ducked through wires leading to the Dusty Wires basement. They were busy laughing about how Pinkie Pie was blown away by the sound in the fixed amp.

"My brother will be happy someone needed his amp," Wiz Kid commented. "Oh hey, are those new ears?"

Dee took off the mascot ears. "Yeah! I broke my old ones, so Rarity fixed up a new pair. Didn't you see her working away?"

"No. Pinkie Pie was busy messing with the amp. It took so long to repair some of those damages, considering Rainbow didn't want me tearing the amp apart." Wiz Kid looked at the ears. "Oh! They have sparkles! Didn't know you liked sparkles."

"Normally I don't. They tend to shake off onto my papers and my keyboard. But when I can, I like sparkles. Rarity is pretty good at making them stick to the ears, so I said, 'Why not?'" Dee took back her headband and looked at it, smiling. She could almost see her reflection in the shiny sparkles.

"Good thing we didn't take the amp apart if there were sparkles. Sparkles could get into the chips and everything. Oh!" Wiz Kid stumbled on a large box. "What is this?"

Dee knelt down and looked at the box. "Stage lights, with rainbow colors. That's pretty cool."

"Do you suppose Atomic Adam is busy repairing them?"

"Adam? Nah, Bright Idea would be working on these lights, if anything. After all… Bright Idea."

"That's a Bright Idea!" Wiz Kid laughed. "Good one."

Scribble Dee picked up one of the lights. "Wow, these are cool. I'm going to have to look at them, see how the wires are." She began to turn the light over in her hands.

"Don't touch those lights," someone said, entering the basement.

"Atomic Adam!" Scribble Dee turned around. "Where were you?"

"I was at the library, helping to repair the microfilms. Hey, you said you would help, but I ended up having to fix all twenty of the machines."

"Oh sorry, we were busy."

"Then I guess I get to keep the sixty dollars they paid me," Atomic Adam replied, pulling out his wallet. His hair was covered with dust and he looked tired. "Do you think Rainbow Dash would like those stage lights?" he pointed at the box.

"You got them for her?" Wiz Kid picked up a light, but Adam slapped it out of his hand. "These must have cost a lot of dollars."

"They did, but it's an apology for how I tore apart her amp. I didn't mean to offend her, and I just wanted to make sure she understands." Adam picked up the light he had knocked away from Wiz Kid. "I'm fixing them up so they can show several colors at alternating times."

"Impressive. Do you like Rainbow Dash?" Scribble Dee leaned in. "She is the captain of every sports team."

Putting his hand against Dee's face, Adam pushed her away. "She's nice, she's pretty, and she is pretty awesome."

"She is pretty cool. We fixed up Wiz Kid's amp with her and she kept insisting that we make it loud and amazing. It was a lot of fun working with her." Dee smiled, but then she clamped her hands over her mouth.

"What?" Adam's movement was rapid as he walked right up to Dee. "What? You skipped helping me with repairing the microfilms to help Rainbow Dash repair an amp? So, I guess, that girl is more important that helping your friend futz around with the most annoying machines ever built."

"It isn't like that, Adam." Dee's brow was lined with sweat, her shoulders hunched up.

"Just because you like Rainbow Dash doesn't mean you have to be a jerk about it." Wiz Kid turned away, arms crossed.

"You're right. I'm sorry." Adam frowned. "It's just so upsetting that she got angry over me repairing her amp. I take things apart to repair them."

"You should have told her that you would be doing that before you walked off with the amp," Scribble Dee suggested. "I would have told her that."

Adam suddenly reached towards Dee's head, and she ducked out of the way, but not before he was able to pull the pony-ear headband away from her. It got caught on her curly hair, so Adam just kept pulling. A few strands of Dee's orange hair were torn out. She squeaked with surprise, but Atomic Adam didn't notice.

"Maybe I'll just take your lame yellow ears and wear them. Maybe then I'll know how to do something right. Maybe Rainbow Dash will accept me with these shiny yellow ears. Oh, hello, Rainbow! I rip apart electronics so I can pretend to make them all better! Oh hey, I'm wearing Rarity's silly ears! I guess now I'm an _awesome_ wondercolt!" Adam's voice rose to a hysterical pitch. "Get out of here. I need to finish with these lights. Take these yellow ears. Go on, go on and fix some more amps." He threw the headband at Scribble Dee.

"Adam…." Scribble Dee caught the headband. "Adam?"

"Come on," Wiz Kid said, turning to leave the basement. "Adam just needs to cool down."

"I guess."

Both of them left, leaving Atomic Adam behind in the basement. He sat down and began to look over the stage lights. However, he felt so alone that he simply stood up and left the basement.


	5. Chapter 5: Here, Rainbow!

The newish amp kept shutting down. It was old, after all. Rainbow Dash kept kicking it to make sure it continued to work, but Sunset Shimmer thought that kicking it probably wasn't the way to go. That would only make the amp last for a shorter time.

"Whatever. This amp is junk," Rainbow Dash complained. "We'll have to keep using it, though. At least until we all save up enough money to buy a new one."

"I wish Twilight was here. She could probably fix the amp."

"Too bad we have to decide between an amp that works once in a while, or an amp that is all taken apart. Is there any way to get a new one?" Sunset looked over the one they had gotten from Wiz Kid. "Rarity, how are your sales going?"

"I'd have to sell millions of the ears and tails to get enough to buy _half_ of an amp." Rarity looked over a pair of ears. "Maybe I should try out white instead of light yellow."

"Maybe you should charge more," Applejack suggested. "Whenever we're in a tight squeeze at th' farm, we jus' up the prices a little."

"Nonsense. I'm too generous to offer these ears and tails for more than nothing."

"If they're free, then how would selling them work?" Applejack arched an eyebrow. "Any how could you sell enough to get an amp?"

"I don't know. Stop questioning me, Applejack." Rarity crossed her arms. "Maybe we should contact Atomic Adam and have him put the amp back together. You know, the amp that we gave him."

"That he broke," Rainbow cut in. "And no way! That's, like, totally weird."

Fluttershy stood up. "I'm going to let Angel run around outside."

"Be careful Winona doesn't catch him. We're at my farm, after all," Applejack warned.

"Such a horrible thought!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Don't worry. I'll just use _the stare_ if anything happens." Fluttershy winked and left.

When she was outside, she set her pack on the ground and all of her animals hopped or crawled out. It was a nice warm day, and the animals were happy to be outside. Fluttershy was happy to be outside, too. So pretty! Bugs, spiders, creepy things and fuzzy thing… nothing could be better. Spreading her arms out, Fluttershy began to sing, her voice lifting high to the treetops.

"Beautiful and sunny, I just want to sing!

"It's not every day that I let my voice just ring!

"Ooh, aah!"

She twirled around, content to be in the sunlight. If only she had those beautiful wings… she could soar and fly with the birds. She jumped a little, continuing to sing. Her voice soon wrapped around her and she felt her wings appear and her pony ears form.

"Woah! What's going on?"

Bewildered, Fluttershy dropped to the ground, landing hard on her bottom. "Ouch!"

A hand extended out and Fluttershy accepted it, gratefully.

"Are you okay?" Atomic Adam helped her up. "You have wings! I've seen it before, when you beat Sunset Shimmer and when you sing and play music. Cool special effects. How do you do it?"

Fluttershy scratched the back of her head and flipped her pink hair in front of her face. "Um, I, uh… well, I get wings. Rainbow Dash gets wings, too, but she's so much better with, uh, flying." She tucked her wings behind her back, even more embarrassed. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Atomic Adam. We both go to Canterlot, remember? Do you mind if I just take a look at your wings? What material are they made out of?" he walked behind Fluttershy and began to look over her wings, nodding and sighing. "So realistic. What is it?"

"Uh… magic?" Fluttershy flapped a wing and then shrank back. Her voice was so very small.

"Magic? That's funny." Adam laughed for a bit. "Okay, what is it, really?"

"Magic?" Fluttershy squeaked.

"Anyways, can you just spare me a feather?" Adam looked over the wings.

"I don't know?" Fluttershy was just so shy. "Ow!"

"Thanks!" Adam tucked the feather into one of his pockets. "Oh, by the way, I just wanted to give this to Rainbow Dash."

"To me? Is it my amp?" Rainbow had come outside. "It better be my amp."

"Here, Rainbow!" Atomic Adam handed a large box to her. "It's several stage lights. I fixed them up so that they have several rainbow colors, like your hair. You can even adjust which way the spectrum runs, and with a little bit of coding, I can show you how to…."

"Thanks, egghead." Rainbow took the box, her voice flat. "Next time, bring me my amp." She walked away, opening the box and then pulling out a lightbulb. She looked it over, and then threw it.

"Rainbow!" Applejack, who had been watching, gasped. "Why'd ya do that?"

"My bad." Rainbow didn't seem sorry at all. "I just don't like these lights. They can't even stand being shattered."

There was silence. Atomic Adam walked away, wiping away a few tears.

"See what you made him do?" Applejack scolded.

Rainbow Dash called out, "My bad! Maybe you should get crystal. Crystal doesn't shatter as easily."

There was no reply, because Adam had gotten into his car, and had driven away. Fluttershy was watching the car pull out and she shook her head.

"That was mean, Rainbow Dash."

"I guess it was," Rainbow replied, feeling a twinge of regret. Then she straightened up and her attitude changed slightly. "But he broke my amp, so now we're even."

Fluttershy's wings and pony ears disappeared, but the twinge of surprise she had felt when one of the feathers was pulled remained, as prominent as ever.

"Maybe we should contact Twilight," Fluttershy suggested. "But I don't want to bother her."

"Grab the book. We'll write to her," Applejack reassured Fluttershy. "Don't you worry, now. This is nothing compared to Sunset Shimmer or the sirens. Uh, no offense."

"None taken."


	6. Chapter 6: Yeah, So?

_Dear Twilight Sparkle_

Sunset Shimmer looked at the book, continuing to write. She was sitting at the base of the statue in front of Canterlot High.

 _We are having some problems here at Canterlot High_

Rainbow Dash grabbed the book and began to scribble in it.

 _Some egghead has come and broken my amp, and now he's trying to impress me, but his gifts are, like, totally lame_

"Rainbow!" Sunset exclaimed. "Oh! We're getting a response!"

 _It would be a pleasure to come back and visit you all again, but I am too wrapped up in my duties to help at the moment. However, I can't just leave you all alone, so I'll be sending…._

"Hello!" a purple dog with green ears and a green tuft on his head came bounding out of the statue. "Twilight said you needed some help, so she sent me over."

"Oh, cute little Spike is here!" Rarity picked up Spike and scratched behind his ears.

"Here you go," Fluttershy said, digging out a biscuit from her backpack. "Too bad Twilight can't come, but I'm sure she has much more important things to do."

"Yeah." Spike talked through heavy mouthfuls of dog treats. "She's really busy _nom_ being a princess _nom_ and all. Say, can I have another treat?" he cupped his paws together and gave a cute face, his eyes widening.

"Of course you can!" Fluttershy handed another treat over.

"Why would you send a dog over?" Rainbow asked.

Spike have her a funny look.

"Just saying!" Rainbow said defensively. "Anyways, we've got a little bit of a problem."

"I'd say. Rainbow Dash sounds like she's being, you know, Rainbow Dash." Spike reached for another treat, but Fluttershy turned away.

"No more treats, or you won't eat your dinner!" Fluttershy zipped up her pack.

"Aww," Spike groaned.

"Well, this nerd is being, all, you know, nerdy. He said he'd fix my amp but then he went and tore it apart." Rainbow took out her phone and showed Spike a picture of her ruined amp.

"Makes sense. Sometimes, Twilight takes apart potions and spells to find out more about them. It's a good way of learning, you know?" Spike was still looking longingly at the backpack full of treats. "I'd say just give him another chance. Which nerd is he? The one with the suspenders? The one with the bad haircut?"

"The one with the suspenders," Applejack answered. "Ya know, Atomic Adam."

Rarity giggled. "He was the one with the funky little dance at the Fall Formal."

"Oh!" Spike thought for a moment. "Yeah. He totally thought Twilight was weird when we first arrived here. He walked away real slowly."

"Enough talking. Spike, you need to get me my amp back." Rainbow pulled out a soccer ball and kicked it around. "Applejack, heads up!"

"Whuh?" Applejack saw the ball coming, and just as it was about to smack her in the face, she spun around and kicked it away.

"I can't just get an amp back," Spike said. "I'm a dog. Besides, wouldn't it be totally weird if I just said, 'Hi, nerd, can I have Rainbow's amp back?' That would be strange even for me, and I come from a land filled with ponies that have horns on their heads."

"You're right. That would be weird," Rainbow said, reasoning out what Spike had said.

"We might just have to talk with Adam," Rarity suggested.

Pinkie Pie brightened up. "Maybe we should explain to him that Rainbow Dash made a mistake, and then we can fix the amp! With the amp fixed, we can all be friends again. Maybe Adam would be so happy he would love to party! Oh! Party!" running up to Rainbow, Pinkie Pie grabbed the collar of her shirt and stared right into her eyes. "We need to get everyone happy! Then we can hold an amazing party where no one is angry at each other, and then you can totally play amazing songs with the fixed amp! Oh! This is so amazing! I can already taste that cake. Mmmm, cake…." She began to drool, much to Rainbow's disgust, so Rainbow pushed Pinkie Pie away. Pinkie Pie, however, wasn't fazed. She continued to drool.

"You know, Scribble Dee likes to hang out at Sugarcube Corner on Saturdays," Rarity said. "We should head on over, and get her to be the mediator between us and Adam."

"Sounds like a good idea," Applejack replied.

"But first, I need to put on a different outfit. This one isn't good for, you know, _roughing_ it. I will be right back!" Rarity sprinted away, leaving Applejack with one hand over her face, the other on her hip.

"Rarity…."

Pinkie Pie, who was still drooling, suddenly perked up. "You know, we could hold a party with everyone after the football game."

"That's in one week," Rainbow Dash replied. "And right now, I really don't want to get too close to Adam. He tore apart my amp."

"Why are you so sore about that amp?" Spike asked.

"It was _my_ amp!" Rainbow yelled.

"How about we all calm down?" Applejack suggested.

"Sounds good," Fluttershy replied. She sat down and smiled.

Sunset Shimmer, who had been on her phone, turned to face Fluttershy. "Didn't you show your magic to Adam yesterday?"

Fluttershy shrank back. "Uh… was that bad?"

"No, no… just, we've shown it before, right? You don't think he'd sense that it is really magic?" Sunset thought for a bit. "Well, even if he did notice it being magic, it doesn't matter."

"He just thought it was some really amazing special effects," Fluttershy responded. "He was interested in how the wings worked, so he…."

"I'm here! Let's all go to Sugarcube Corner!" Rarity came prancing back, dressed in a white outfit covered with pink ribbons.

"You look like cake!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Mmmm… cake…."

"Ah! No, no drooling on my dress!"

It took a while to get into the car, find a place to park, and then get into Sugarcube Corner. Just as Rainbow Dash entered, Scribble Dee walked past, out the door and onto the sidewalk.

"Hi, Rainbow! How's Wiz Kid's amp holding up?"

"We need to talk with Atomic Adam," Rainbow blurted out.

Scribble Dee looked around, trembling slightly. "He's a little angry right now, Rainbow. I don't think it's a good time to meet with him."

"Why are you shaking, dear?" Rarity put her arms around Dee's shoulders "Relax!"

"Adam yelled at me and Wiz Kid. He got really angry because we fixed up another amp."

"He did seem a little upset when he gave us the stage lights." Applejack came in, twirling her keychain. "Why is he so angry all of a sudden?"

"I don't know," Dee replied, shrugging her shoulders. "He can get angry real easily. When the Dazzlings were singing, he got right up in people's faces."

"Well, that was the effect of magic!" Pinkie Pie said. "Of course he was mean! Everyone was!"

"Magic?" Dee was confused.

"Never mind what she's saying!" Sunset Shimmer said hurriedly, putting a hand over Pinkie's mouth. "Does Adam have anger issues?"

"Not really. He just really dislikes when people are rude to him with barely any reason. Freshman year, he was bullied a lot by the athletes." Dee glanced around. "He was always picked last when it came to sports. Even Derpy was chosen for softball before he was."

"Oh yeah," Rainbow recalled. "I couldn't have him nerding up my team."

Everyone looked at Rainbow with none too friendly expressions.

"What?" Rainbow shrugged.


	7. Chapter 7: Soft Feather

Atomic Adam sat in the basement of his house, pouring over several research papers. It all seemed silly, mostly because the papers were print-outs from websites talking about magic. Several were papers talking about why magic existed, others disproved the existence of magic. Magic. All he could see was magic. Magic! Blasted magic! None of this made any sense to him, and try as he might, all of the computers in the world couldn't explain magic. They were based off of his simple reasoning, not stretching beyond to whatever those girls had brought into the world.

Turning back to examine the feather he had plucked from Fluttershy, Adam looked it over and felt it, rubbed the fine silky feather and he even sniffed it. It seemed like a plain old yellow feather from a giant bird, yet he had plucked it from the back of a teenager. It was natural; it was shaped like any normal feather from a bird would be. It wasn't just a crazy fake plastic feather. It was legit.

Where had it come from? How was it possible? Was it linked to the pony ears, the pony ears that magically appeared when Fluttershy sang? He had seen them before; at the weird event with Sunset Shimmer as a demon and at the band concert against the Dazzlings. He had seen these things happen: their hair grew longer, almost like they had a tail, and pony ears appeared on top of their heads. Two pairs of ears didn't exist at the same time, however, and he had seen the human ears vanish as they were overtaken by their seemingly magic counterparts.

Magic is ridiculous. It's not plausible. It only existed in the games Adam played with his friends, where he was that crazy wizard who never seemed to roll good numbers on the dice. Magic only existed in roleplaying. It was the imaginary thing that could deal damage to imaginary foes. It couldn't exist!

Adam again looked at the feather. Girls didn't just grow wings and fly. Even though he certainly wasn't one of the rockers or an athlete with a girl hanging on one arm, Adam knew that girls didn't grow wings. If they did, their bones wouldn't allow them to fly, anyways.

"Adam?" his mother called down into the basement. "Adam, are you okay?"

"Just doing some research," he replied.

"Okay. I've got some soda set out for you on the table."

"Thanks." Adam kept turning the feather over in his hands, careful not to fray the soft edges. "I'll be up in a minute."

The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" his mother said. "It's one of your friends from school. Should I send her down?"

"Sure." Adam crossed his fingers hoping it was Rainbow Dash.

"Hello!" his mother greeted the guest.

"Uh, I'm sorry… I didn't realize you were busy and all of that, so I just… uh…."

"Nonsense. Adam is downstairs! What's your name?"

"I'm… Fluttershy…."

Fluttershy walked slowly down the stairs and tripped on the last step. She wobbled for a little bit and then straightened up. When Adam turned to look at her, her face was buried in her hair. She couldn't see him, and he really couldn't see her.

"Sorry… I just wanted to stop by, and… uh… make sure everything was going good." Fluttershy looked in a different direction, and she could feel her face grow hot. "Scribble Dee said you were angry, so I thought I could cheer you up, but that's what Pinkie Pie does best."

Adam smiled and straightened his glasses. "You didn't have too much trouble finding here, did you?"

"I, uh, walked. From Sugarcube Corner."

"You must be thirsty. Do you want something to drink?"

Fluttershy nodded. She didn't really like being alone with a kid she didn't know. How could Rainbow Dash have talked her into this?

"If you get in trouble," Rainbow had said. "Just sing and then you can fly away!"

She wasn't really the type of person to say no, so Fluttershy had walked the three miles to Adam's house. She had never been before, so she walked another mile trying to find the right house. Hopefully Adam wouldn't want to talk about the amp. Maybe they could just sit down and drink soda, and maybe he could help her with homework.

"Here," Adam said, handing a bottle of sparkling lemonade to Fluttershy.

"Thank you," Fluttershy replied. They sat in awkward silence.

"Why are you here, really?" Adam set his bottle down and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. "You don't seem like the kind of person to just walk to another student's house and say hi."

Would she say anything? Adam was looking at her in earnest. She couldn't lie and tell him the fancy story Rainbow Dash had told her to say. Instead, she decided to tell the truth.

"I'm having problems on my homework."

Hey, it was the truth. Not _the_ truth that she should have said, but she still said the truth. Taking off her pack and pulling out a folder, she handed the piece of paper to Adam. "I don't understand what it is asking here."

Adam looked it over, explained that Fluttershy was missing the fact that light is a wave of energy, and the awkward silence continued.

"I was wondering if you could get into that, uh, pony form." Adam showed the feather to Fluttershy. "I'm trying to figure out what is happening."

"Uh, the magic… the magic of friendship…." Fluttershy turned away, her voice becoming quieter than a mouse. "It's the magic… of…."

"What? Well, just show me how you get the wings."

Fluttershy didn't know what to do. "I don't have any instruments."

"Can you sing?"

Fluttershy balked at the thought.

"Sorry. Just, think about… think about the wings."

Fluttershy stepped back, and thought about her friends. She wished they were there with her. She'd be more comfortable. Her friends were always understanding of her, always patient when she was weak and giving her the courage to be more than she thought she could be. That's what a good friend does, and they were a safety net.

Oh! The warmth began to spread into her chest, and she could feel herself lifting up. Her back tingled with warmth and she could just feel this power that wasn't too overwhelming, but just right. It was gentle and filled her whole being. Just… it felt so… magical. She lifted up into the air, her eyes closed, and a slight smile on her face.

Atomic Adam was looking upward, his eyes shining with the light. He had never seen something like this, something so close.

"How do you do it?" he stepped back, as though afraid Fluttershy was now something dangerous.

Fluttershy dropped to the ground, but her pony form still remained. "I thought about my friends, when people are understanding. I think about how I can become a better person, how much it means to me when my friends help me."

"Oh." Adam thought for a moment. "Like when I'm with Scribble Dee and Wiz Kid." He began to think about his friends, and he felt a slight warmth begin in his heart.

Fluttershy stepped forward and held Adam's hands. "You just need to have a good friend, happy thoughts, and knowing that magic is real. It _is_ real. It's friendship."

"Magic…." Adam closed his eyes and he could feel the warmth flooding into his heart, something that was more than just how he felt after solving a computer program, and something more powerful than nuclear energy.

"Good friends, able to forgive, and able to believe." Fluttershy began to lift into the air, and she watched the phantom glow of pony ears appear on Adam's head.

"Friends… oh, I should not have been mean to my friends!" Adam jolted and he fell. "And then I had to think about Rainbow Dash. She wouldn't think this is cool." He became angry, and the warmth faded away.

"No," Fluttershy said, and she reached for Adam. "She really thinks you're smart."

"After I tore apart the amp? Ugh!" The magic completely faded away. Adam looked with guilt at Fluttershy. "You should probably go, Fluttershy. I'm sorry."

Fluttershy nodded, and she ran up the stairs. The magic faded away in glistening light that bathed Adam in its shine. Fluttershy went out the door and into the night.

With the warmth of the friendship gone, Adam felt cold inside.


	8. Chapter 8: Shadow Horn

From the world of Equestria came an explosion. It tore through the ground where it was buried and went soaring skyward. Shadow erupted from the edges of the thing, the shadows scurrying in the air but soon dissolved as they reached the Crystal Empire. Hope and love acted as shields and the darkness was destroyed before it could do anything.

But that was only the excess from the horn. It kept spinning through the air and it tore through the sky. As the horn vanished, Princess Cadence was forced to close the hole. She fought against the swirling winds and it took much of her strength to seal whatever had torn through night sky. Sweat streamed down her neck, and her mane began to get pulled in.

"Cadence!" Twilight Sparkle approached, but she began to get pulled in. "What… what is _that_? What's happening?"

"I don't know!" Cadence shouted, bracing against the powerful suction. "I think… I think some ancient magic just decided to go crazy. It tore right through the sky!"

"Did it hit the Crystal Empire?"

"No. We were able to knock it back before it did anything. It's weakened, but I fear that it will only grow in strength." Cadence stopped to take a breather. "We'll need more help if we can close this portal."

Twilight focused her magic on the portal. "Maybe… maybe we need to use a different kind of power on this."

"I didn't want to," Cadence replied, and she threw her head back. "But maybe… maybe we need to use the kind of magic in this portal in order to close it." Her eyes began to glow green and purple mist flooded from the corners of her eyes.

Twilight felt cold magic inside of her, but she forced herself to give in. Her eyes glowed green and purple mist flooded as well. Slowly, but gradually, the portal began to close. The shadow that had torn away the sky began to heal.

"What kind of magic was that?" Cadence felt faint, and she collapsed when she landed.

"I don't know," Twilight replied. She felt weak as well.

"Whatever that thing was, it is gone." Cadence closed her eyes. "I just need to rest."

Twilight smiled. "Yes. This was enough excitement for today."

With the portal closed, there was nowhere for the horn to shed its dark magic. It just kept flying, its tip glowing with a fiery anger. The base was black as night. The horn rumbled and shook as it went soaring through nothing. Finally, it tore another hole.

As it hit a tree, the tree wilted and faded away. The grass shriveled and grew brown. Animals fled as a great blanket of shadow grew from around the horn. Crystal, glistening like obsidian, grew in a protective circle around the horn. Not ridged, but smooth, the horn began to rip into the ground, but only slightly. It was anchoring itself so the darkness from it could seep even further.

Crysssstal.


	9. Chapter 9: Dashing Pride

Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy were sitting down together at lunch. Fluttershy was eating yogurt that was sprinkled with yummy oat clusters. Sunset Shimmer was eating a taco. It was Sunday and they were enjoying food at a local diner.

"We come to eat tacos," Sunset pointed out. "and you get yogurt?"

"It's Greek yogurt," Fluttershy replied. "I couldn't pass up that chance."

There was some commotion, but Fluttershy didn't pay any attention. When she got a spoon of yogurt to her mouth, something hit her and she was squashed into the seat under the tremendous weight of Bulk Biceps.

"Oh, hello," Sunset said. "Are you here for the taco discount?"

"YEAH!" Bulk Biceps flexed and then he looked confused. "Where did Fluttershy go?"

"Uh…." Sunset Shimmer didn't know what to say.

"I'm under here," Fluttershy squeaked.

"MY BAD." He adjusted in the seat and gave Fluttershy some more room.

A waitress came over. "Would you like something to eat, sir?" her voice was drawled and bored. Her tag said, "Hello! My name is: Aria!"

"YEAH!"

Aria rolled her eyes. "We're having a taco special today. Would you like the taco platter?"

"YEAH!"

"Figures." She turned around and went to the kitchen.

Fluttershy began to eat her yogurt again, but to her dismay, the tasty oat clusters had been spilled out onto the table from the massive force of Bulk Bicep's weight.

Bulk Biceps reached over, scooped the oat clusters into the palm of his hand, and then poured it back into the yogurt. Fluttershy smiled and she ate the rest of her yogurt. There was the taste of sweat, but Fluttershy didn't feel like saying anything about that.

When the taco platter arrived, all three of them couldn't resist saying, "Ooooh…"

"DELICIOUS!"

And just like that, the platter was completely gone.

"Hey! Bulk Biceps!" Teddy was standing at the door. "We're gonna go practice for the game. Wanna come?"

"YEAH!" Bulk Biceps slammed several dollar bills onto the table and left the building with several of the athletes.

"Looks like they're going to have a football game later this week," Sunset Shimmer commented. "Are you going?"

"Well, Bulk Biceps is playing…." Fluttershy was speaking into her pink hair.

"I've never seen a football game," Sunset Shimmer commented. "I always tried to ruin them or make sure that the other team won… but let's not focus on that."

"Bulk Biceps is the quarterback…."

"Who are we playing?" Sunset Shimmer looked around. "Are we playing the Griffons?"

"Yeah." Flash Sentry, who was sitting nearby, turned to face Sunset Shimmer. "Say… I saw that little dog, Spike, running around. Is… is his owner nearby?" he blushed.

"I can't say that she is," Sunset replied. "She's busy right now, so…."

"So we're taking care of him right now!" Fluttershy grinned.

"But he's not with you."

"True, true," Sunset Shimmer said. "But…"

Someone outside was screaming and yelling. Surprised, everyone in the diner looked outside. Rainbow Dash was standing out on the plaza, arguing with a student from East High, the school just east outside of town. It was home to the team, The Griffons. Rainbow was arguing with one of the soccer players from the school.

"We're totally going to beat you!" Rainbow Dash sneered.

"You can't beat the Griffons," the student replied. "I'll see you on Friday, after the light show."

"Then we'll prove who the greatest athlete is," Rainbow said. The other student began to walk away.

"Then after the light show, I'll show you who is boss!"

"What happened?" Sunset Shimmer asked. She walked up to Rainbow Dash and pointed at the disgruntled East High student walking away.

"She just got her tail all knotted up." Rainbow Dash flicked her hair. "But I'll show her after the light show. Are you guys going to the show? It's gonna be _awesome_."

"Light show?" Fluttershy asked.

"Principle Celestia announced that after the game, we're going to have a student rally. It's gonna be a light show. The techies are running it."

"That sounds scary," Fluttershy replied, shrinking away.

"It's gonna be _awesome_! I was talking with Scribble Dee, and she says that I get to play guitar!" Rainbow Dash stretched her arms out. "I'll be this cool."

"Wait… no one said anything about you." A hand was lightly placed on Rainbow's shoulder.

Rainbow Dash shrugged the hand away. "Whatever."

"No, it isn't just _whatever_." Atomic Adam was standing there, his arms crossed. "Scribble Dee never told me you were in the show."

Scribble Dee was standing some distance away from Adam. "I forgot to say."

Adam rolled his eyes. "Not the first time."

"Okay… well, do I get to play guitar?"

Adam thought for a bit. "Well, in fear of making things worse, yeah, you can totally play."

" _Sweet_!"

"On one condition." Adam smiled. "You use the amp that I fixed."

"You must be really interested in fixing things up." Rainbow grinned. "Of course. Sounds great."

Adam cheered. "I'll go and get it ready for Friday night."

Rainbow Dash was happy. Really happy. "Oh! This is going to be more than awesome! It's going to be so…."

"Ineffable?" Adam replied.

"I don't know what that means, but _totally_!" Rainbow Dash was so happy she could burst, and she jumped at Adam, wrapping him up in a hug. "I'm getting my amp back and everything! Oh!"

"An athlete hugging a nerd!" Trixie was watching. "Who has ever heard of that?"

Rainbow Dash broke out of her excited embrace, knocking Adam to the ground. "What? No! I don't like him! That's, like, lame."

"Oh sure," Aria, who had stepped outside, exclaimed. "Don't like him?" she sneered.

Rainbow Dash scowled. "Well, duh."

"You like Atomic Adam!" Trixie shouted. She was gawking.

"I don't like him," Rainbow explained, her voice desperate. "I don't. I really don't!"

"Prove it," Trixie challenged.

"I won't play in the light show." Rainbow Dash was face-to-face with Trixie.

Atomic Adam, who had just stood up, looked crestfallen. However, his disappointed expression quickly became defiance. "You're just saying one thing and doing another. You could learn a lot about being a good person from Fluttershy. Just you watch, Rainbow Dash. You're going to be begging to play in the light show. You're going to be begging for your amp back." He stomped off, Scribble Dee running after him.


	10. Chapter 10: It is ON

Rainbow Dash, sitting in math class, got her test back. She looked over it, happy to see a big, fat "C" slapped on the top. She cheered silently and waved the paper in the air.

"Miss Dash," Mrs. Harshwhinny said. "put that paper down. I know you must be proud to have such a high grade, but please wait to show your enthusiasm. Grades are posted online."

The bell rang and Rainbow Dash hopped out, heading to her next class. As she passed Rarity, she leaned in and said, "Look at my test!"

Rarity smiled. "Oh, that's… good."

"I know! And I didn't even have to study!" Rainbow Dash continued running through the halls, sprinting past Principle Celestia, who only glared at the student.

"Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash skidded to a stop. "I got a C on my test!"

Scootaloo tried to smile. "I know. We're in the same math class."

"Eeee!" Rainbow Dash continued to sprint. Just as she rounded a corner, she was stopped by Scribble Dee.

"Rainbow," Dee whispered. "Rainbow!"

"What gives? I'm on my way to class." Rainbow began to run, but Dee held a tight grip on her shoulder. "Hey!"

"Look, what happened outside of the diner… did you really try to be hurtful?" Dee was shaking slightly, her knuckles white.

"Of course not. I just had to look cool," Rainbow Dash explained. "I'm sorry if anything came across as hurtful."

"Adam takes what people say about him to heart." Dee looked down. "I was really hoping we could surprise him with you at the light show."

"Does he like me?" Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because I'm not interested."

"He wants to be friends," Dee replied. "You should really talk to him."

"Where is he?"

"Not here. He's not at school today." With a sigh, Dee began to walk away. "Maybe you should text him, or something. I better head to class."

"Oh. Okay." Rainbow Dash shuffled around a bit, then began walking to her next hour class. On her way, she passed by Fluttershy who was talking with Bulk Biceps.

"There's a game on Friday?" Fluttershy asked.

"YEAH!" Bulk Biceps flexed. "You should go!"

"Oh, but I need tickets…."

"GOT 'EM RIGHT HERE." Bulk Biceps slammed several tickets into Fluttershy's cupped hands.

"Oh. Thanks!"

The bell rang. Fluttershy just stood with Bulk Biceps in an awkward silence. Then, Fluttershy spoke up by saying, "Aren't you going to be late for class?"

"YEAH!"

"And you've been late before?"

"YEAH!"

"And if you're late again, you'll get in trouble."

"YEAH!"

And with that, Bulk Biceps went running down the hallway to Cooking Class.

"Oh, Rainbow! Here's a ticket to the football game. I'm excited to see it. I heard the light show is going to be amazing." Fluttershy began to head to her class.

"Wait," Rainbow Dash said.

Fluttershy stopped, turning around. "Yes?"

"Did you talk to Adam about friendship?"

"Uh…" Fluttershy didn't know how to respond, so she decided to say, "I showed him that with friendship, magic is real. He wanted to see my pony ears."

"You _showed_ him magic?"

"We've shown it lots of times before," Fluttershy replied.

"Yeah… yeah," Rainbow Dash began to walk to class. "Remind me, I need to show you my grades on the computer."

"Of course! I just need to head to class." Fluttershy walked the other way. "Bye, Rainbow!"

School went smoothly, except for when Rainbow tried to use her phone to email something to Applejack. The phone began to vibrate and the screen flashed with green, with several lines of zeros and ones flooding across. It made no sense to Rainbow Dash, and when she turned off her phone and then turned it back on, the screen showed the green once, and then it promptly died on her.

After school, Rainbow Dash headed down to the school lobby, took out her laptop, and pointed it out to all of her friends. "I am going to show all of you that you don't need to study to be awesome. I passed my math test without really doing any of the homework."

"Oh," Sunset Shimmer commented. "Congratulations."

"With flying colors?" Rarity asked.

Rainbow Dash opened up the webpage to her grades, and pointed at the screen. She was smiling proudly, and looked at her friend, expecting to hear them burst out into cheers. However, their reactions were of shock and horror, evidenced by Pinkie Pie's hair drooping and Rarity dropping the vial of nail polish she had been holding.

"What?" Rainbow was confused.

"Uh, you might wanna double check," Applejack said, pointing at the screen. She was grimacing, finding it hard to point out what she had seen.

"I'm sure the teacher just made a mistake," added Sunset Shimmer. "Right?"

"Oh, but Mrs. Harshwhinny wouldn't mess up any grades," Fluttershy interjected, but then she quickly put in, "But maybe she did make a mistake."

"What?" Rainbow Dash still was confused.

Pinkie Pie cocked her head to the side, trying to grin. "Maybe… maybe the "F" stands for fun, right? It probably does."

"What do you mean by an 'F'? I got a 'C'!" Rainbow Dash finally looked at the screen, and her jaw hit the keyboard. "How did I get an 'F'? Ah!" she backed out of the math grades and looked at the other grades, which were C's and B's. All of a sudden, the letters began to change, one by one, into a failing 'F'.

"What's happening?" Rainbow Dash hit the back arrow, trying to get her grades to return back to normal, but it didn't work. She began to shake her computer, and when Applejack tried to grab her arms, the laptop went flying and hit the ground. It shattered into several pieces, and Rainbow screamed.

"First my phone, then my grades, and now my computer!" Tears began to form in her eyes. "Wh…what?"

Sunset Shimmer, who was busy thinking, said, "I bet Atomic Adam has something to do with these grades. You need to work things out with him."

Rainbow stuttered, "I tried, but then… Trixie… and… look at what he's done!"


	11. Chapter 11: Jutting Dark

After school, on Tuesday, Rarity and Fluttershy were walking together in the nearby park. Fluttershy wanted to see if the woolly bear caterpillars were out, and Rarity was interested in gaining some inspiration for the upcoming football game against East High.

"It is one of the last football games," Rarity explained to herself. "The Wondercolts versus The Griffons… it'll be a game for the ages, especially after I design a logo for the game. After all, Principle Celestia did ask if I would come up with some flag designs for the light show."

"I'm sure you'll design something that's simply wonderful," Fluttershy said, smiling.

"Of course! Now, since we're against the Griffons, maybe I should go with something with their school colors? Gold and white, is it not? What do you think?"

"I don't know," Fluttershy replied. "After all, this is up to you. I don't want to ruin anything."

There was a scuffle up ahead, and the three Diamond Dog boys came running. They rushed past Rarity and Fluttershy.

"Saying 'Excuse me' would have sufficed!" Rarity scolded them.

Rover, who didn't stop running, called back, "We's hit a lot of bad rocks! It's up to you if you want to face them, but those rocks will beat anyone!" They continued down the path, disappearing from sight.

Fluttershy and Rarity looked at each other, shrugged, and continued to walk. They came across the hole where the boys had been digging, and found some gems, shiny metal, an earring, and a block of dark crystal.

"Rarely," Rarity commented. "am I shy to take gems… but those crystals are just so beautiful! I'm not sure if I want to pick them up!"

A woolly bear went crawling across the objects, and when it touched the dark crystal, it burst into flames. Fluttershy shrieked and grabbed the caterpillar, burning her hand on the crystal. She looked at the caterpillar, pinched out the flames, and saw that it was okay, if not a little dazed.

"I'm not picking those crystals up," Rarity decided. "Is your little friend okay?" Her expression was one of concern as she looked at the woolly bear caterpillar.

"Are you okay, little buddy?" Fluttershy held the caterpillar to her face. It nodded. Fluttershy cheered, careful not to knock it from her hands. "Yay! Little buddy is okay!"

"Too bad he got hurt," Rarity said, and she dug around in her oversized purse. "Here we go. Something fabulous to keep that caterpillar feeling well." She worked carefully and quickly, tying a bowtie around the caterpillar's neck. "It'll fall off when he grows some more, but it'll keep him looking fine and fancy for the next few days."

They skirted around the crystals, turned around, and headed back. Something was pushing them away, but they couldn't tell what it was. Instead of investigating, Rarity decided it would be best just to turn around.

"I don't know what was up with that crystal, but I am not going to look for any more of them!" Rarity was walking at a brisk pace. "Hurry up, Fluttershy. I don't want to be here, with all of these crystals."

"We only saw one," Fluttershy reasoned, but then she shrank back. "But I'm not going to continue down the path. Wait for me!"

As Fluttershy jogged over to Rarity, the ground rumbled and a crystal shot up from the dirt. Both of the girls screamed and Rarity reached for Fluttershy. The dark crystal separated them, but Rarity was still reaching for her friend. Fluttershy refused to move, so Rarity moved over and held her friend. With Fluttershy shaking and Rarity screaming, they both watched as another crystal began to grow, right from underneath their feet.

"No!" Rarity pushed Fluttershy out of the way. Expecting to be thrown into the sky by the crystal, Rarity instead found herself and Fluttershy surrounded by a warm, pink glow. The glow formed into a shining star, and the star burst through all of the tall crystals.

"Come on, Fluttershy," Rarity gasped. "I have a feeling these aren't just ordinary crystals."

The friends fled, not looking back.


	12. Chapter 12: Crystal Clear

Atomic Adam had passed by Fluttershy and Rarity on his way to the park; they hadn't noticed him, however, and he didn't bother to greet or even nod their direction. He felt alone and cold on the inside. To be honest, it even hurt a little. Walking on into the forest, he tried to whistle but his lips were dry; he thought about humming along to a song that was stuck in his head, but he just couldn't bring himself to hum.

He had missed Monday at school, just so he could hack into the school system and change Rainbow Dash's grades. Now that he felt even, he had gone to school the next day; it was Tuesday, but none of his friends noticed him. They seemed to be ignoring him, delving into Taco Tuesday like normal, just not even doing so much as glancing at him. For the first time since middle school, Adam sat alone at lunch, with only his laptop keeping him company. Was everyone against him, now?

After falling into a hole in the ground, Adam scowled and kicked the dirt back in. He noted that jewelry and some gems had been dug up; he presume it was from those boys in his class that only dug into the ground during their free time. They had dug up all of the freshly laid turf during freshman year.

"Ouch!" Atomic Adam hit his foot against something, and hopped up and down on one leg for a bit. His foot really hurt. What had he bumped, anyways?

There was a shard of dark crystal on the ground, something like looked much like obsidian. Adam had never seen anything like it before, so he bent over and picked it up, but _ouch_! It was hot. Adam dropped the crystal, and watched as it rolled on the ground. It rolled down the path like it had a mind of its own.

"Wait!" Adam went chasing after it. He focused on the crystal, intent on finding out more about it. The crystal kept rolling.

Then, he found that he couldn't move. Something was holding his limbs to his sides, something was compressing his lungs, and something was forcing fear to emerge in his throat. He needed to vomit, to get rid of that disgusting feeling, but he couldn't move at all. The only thing he could do was gasp, opening and closing his mouth. No sound came out.

In front of him stood a twenty foot tall crystal, horrible deformed yet at the same time just as horribly beautiful. The darkness in it made Atomic Adam's eyes shine, and the reflection of the crystal appeared in his glasses.

Staring at the crystal, Adam could see Rainbow Dash's face appear in the darkness. She was laughing, laughing and pointing at him. Fluttershy soon joined in, sticking her tongue out. Rarity appeared, her hand reaching out and plucking off an imaginary pony ear headband. Applejack flung several rotten apples at him while Pinkie Pie flipped him off.

Cold began to spread through his body. It held the same kind of power like the warmth of friendship, but it felt raw, and sharp; just as cold as a winter night. Green eyes stared through the crystals, evil just flooding from their glare. Atomic Adam was afraid.

"Cryssstal…."

Tendrils of shadow began to drift into Adam's mouth. They forced themselves down, each one a claw that was intent on tearing apart whatever was left in him.

"Yah!" something kicked right through the crystal, and Adam felt himself drop to the ground.

"You okay?" a hand was reaching out for him, to help him up. It was Rainbow Dash. "I heard that there were some nasty looking crystals growing around here. Good thing I decided to investigate; you would've been toast."

Adam leaned over and threw up.

"Well, you could have warned me." Rainbow flinched, but then she relaxed. "Hey, lemme help you up." She helped him to stand up.

Atomic Adam was confused. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"It's not cool to be mean," Rainbow Dash replied. "I was being a jerk, ya know? Applejack thought that your feelings might have been hurt, so I totally decided to look for you. After I kicked butt with these crystals."

"Where did they come from?" Adam watched as the crystals shrank into the ground.

"I don't know, but they're cowards." Rainbow Dash picked up a smooth spike that was resting on the ground. "Watch me crunch it!" she put it on the ground and prepared to step on it.

"Wait!" Adam picked the crystal up. "I need to look at this. It's magic."

"Magic?" Rainbow leaned over Adam's shoulder. "Like, what kind of magic?"

"I don't know," Adam replied. "But I don't think it's the kind of magic that gives you pony ears."

"Nor does it shoot out rainbow lasers," Rainbow Dash agreed. "We should smash it."

"Maybe we can find out what kind of magic it is; like, maybe it's from another dimension or something." Adam slipped the spike into his backpack. "Whatever is up with it, I think that your magic is at least keeping it at bay."

"So, uh, we're meeting at the local diner for a study session." Rainbow smiled. "Wanna help me study? It said online that I had all F's."

"Oh! I'm so sorry about that." Atomic Adam shuffled his feet. "Did they change it back?"

"Yeah. They did, but they wanted to know who could have done it."

"…"

"Don't worry. Wiz Kid and Scribble Dee admitted that they were doing something for a science experiment. They only got detention for the rest of the week." Rainbow began to walk down the path. "Come on, Adam! I need help with my math homework."

"I saw the 'C' that you got on the test."

"That's actually a pretty good grade for me," Rainbow Dash admitted. She scratched the back of her head and looked around nervously.

They walked together down the path, not talking. Adam was lost in thought and Rainbow Dash was too busy thinking about her shattered laptop. How would she even mention her emotions towards _that_? She didn't want to shatter this already uneasy peace that she held with Adam.

Flash Sentry was walking along the path, just ahead of them. Well, not walking. He was jogging. Rainbow Dash bit her lower lip and Atomic Adam looked away. Flash was wearing one of those shirts that had the sleeves and basically the whole sides removed. One of those mega tank tops that shows the body underneath, and, uh, yeah.

Talk about being in-shape.

"Do you run like that?" Rainbow Dash whispered to Atomic Adam.

"Fffffttttt." He had no response.


	13. Chapter 13: Another Team

"Well, that's a shame." Principle Celestia was looking over the email that East High had sent to her.

"What is it, sister?" Luna was staring out the window. "Huh. I have never noticed Rainbow Dash to run with the techies. It is good that she is expanding her friend circle."

"Several of the football players hurt themselves over at East High. We can't play the Griffons." Celestia sighed, and she looked at a list of local schools. "The Crystalcolts are occupied with playing the team over at Appaloosa High. Looks the Bison are occupied, too."

An email popped up. Luna leaned over and said, "Perhaps, with our options being limited, we should accept the offer from the other school."

Celestia thought for a moment. "Yes, perhaps, but we have a history with Chrysalis Academy. Remember the incident from…?"

"Of course, but our students have worked hard to hold the light show." Luna pulled out a flyer that was advertising the big show. It was a colorful poster that showed the football team playing while several rainbow lights were in the background. Fireworks added to the atmosphere of the picture.

"Then I guess we should ask if we can play the Changelings this Friday."


	14. Chapter 14: What Luna Saw

"Chrysalis Academy?" Rainbow Dash was among the students protesting the change of events. "Why them?"

There was a large crowd of students gathered in the main atrium, all of them waving their football tickets and complaining. It was a rowdy protest, none of them happy about the change. The game against East High had been highly anticipated. They were pretty big rivals.

"This is RIDICULOUS!" Bulk Biceps had stormed through the crowd. He waved his arms in distress, knocking Snips and Snails out of the way.

"I totally agree," Rainbow Dash added. "I mean, why can't the other students play?"

Luna sighed. "There was a pile up of the students during Taco Tuesday at their school. Several of the students broke something or have too many bruises and just don't feel well."

"But we can't just play the Changelings," Teddy argued. "They're so boring. And rude!"

"It's like they suck the school spirit out of everything," Rarity huffed. "They don't even appreciate fine fashion."

"Remember when Headmistress Chrysalis tried to impersonate several students?" Applejack had her hands on her hip, all saucy cowgirl style. "That was a disaster!"

"Yes, but we have no other choice but to play them." Luna was growing impatient.

"Why not postpone the game?" Teddy suggested.

"And make me plan for everything again?" Now Pinkie Pie was distressed.

"We could just wait until next week for everything," Sunset Shimmer replied. "I mean, would it be too hard to wait a week?"

Scribble Dee interjected, "Yes, but then we would have to change the light show. It would be hard for us to all of a sudden say the light show will be next week."

"Not to mention that the swim team will be out of town," Octavia complained.

Everyone looked at her.

"Well, I don't just keep my arms this way by playing cello," she replied, shrugging. "I have to be a butterfly in the water."

Fluttershy muttered, "I want to be a butterfly…."

"Maybe we should have the light show tonight," Sunset Shimmer began to say, but Scribble Dee interrupted.

"It'd not be the same with only one school in attendance." She pulled out a notebook. "We were counting on raising a lot of money with the light show. Not to mention part of it features the colors and fight song of the opponent school."

Wiz Kid showed a notepad he was carrying. "I've already begun my designs for the show. Does this look like a good Changeling?"

Rarity snatched the notepad and gasped. "No!" she flipped to another page and sketched a different design, which looked much better.

Atomic Adam had set up a portable table and had his laptop propped up. "Next week has chances of rain. The light show won't work in rain."

Rainbow Dash leaned over his shoulder and looked at the computer. "Then waterproof it."

"They're good," Applejack said. "but I don't think even our eggheads can make the lights waterproof."

"You're all eggheads," Adam muttered under his breath.

"What?" Rarity was horrified.

Turning around, Adam tried to explain. "Anatomy, Rarity. I meant it all in the terms of anatomy. I mean, our heads aren't like perfect circles. And they aren't squares. We all have egg-shaped heads."

"Whee!" Pinkie Pie sprung up into the air. "I am an egghead!"

Luna began to walk back to her office, but Teddy spoke up.

"So we're playing the game, or not?"

"You'll be playing the Changelings this Friday. And I think all of you should go to class before you are all late."

"It's only Wednesday," Rainbow Dash muttered. "Maybe things will change?"

"Very unlikely," Luna responded. "Rainbow Dash, aren't you supposed to be heading to math class?"

"Fine." Rainbow Dash tightened her backpack and left.

"And you, Atomic Adam, aren't you supposed to head over to computer science?"

"Of course, but…."

"Then why are you not going to class?"

"I wanted to speak to you about the light show."

Luna was growing impatient. "What do I need to know about the light show?"

"With everything being changed so quickly, does the light show need to be cancelled? The big plan was to celebrate the other team."

"That's not my problem, Adam." Luna went back to her office. "You need to figure this out on your own."

"But you even voted on postponing the Fall Formal earlier this year, why can't we postpone the light show?"

With a sigh, Luna invited Adam into her office. "Look, the light show is a student hosted event. The school is only supplying a setting. Can you not adjust the designs?"

A flash of cold went through Atomic Adam. "I can't just change the designs. It took a month of planning for this!" He raised his arms in distress. For a second, his eyes flared with green and red.

Luna, shocked by this outburst, stepped back. "Maybe you should head to class, Adam."

Atomic Adam scowled and he left the room, tightening his backpack straps. Luna watched as he stomped out of the office, and she sighed. He had repaired her computer just a week ago. He was a polite student, shy, and not too keen on conversation. Well, unless the conversation was geared towards technology. Nice enough kid. But those eyes… had Luna seen them correctly? Had those eyes really glistened with venomous green and had his eyes really dripped with fiery anger?

And as Adam left, Luna could almost hear him snarling.

"Cryssstal."


End file.
